The Conditions for Paradise
by ThelceManCometh
Summary: Sylveon and Hydreigon may be complete opposites in nature, but they share one common trait: they are both tormented by their dark pasts. Lacking the strength to deal with them alone and guided by fate, they find each other and begin a relationship that will forever change their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sound of water rushing through the grassland filled the area. If you were to close your eyes and listen carefully you might be able to hear the distant sound of ninjask crying in the nearby forest. This river empties into a small lake that is home to many tempting delights, the most famous of which is magikarp. It is for this reason that Sylveon once again made her way down along this riverbank to the lake. She slowly walked up to the edge of the lake and stopped. She took a moment to look at her surroundings. There were some trees surrounding the area, and outside of those trees is a large plain. If you were to venture across that grassland you would encounter a mountain that seemed to tower above the Earth. Sylveon's ribbons fluttered in the gentle breeze and the bright sun shone on her beautiful fur while she took in her surroundings.

Finally she lied down on her stomach and began to watch the lake. In the lake she saw her reflection staring back at her. She saw her fine pink ears, her pretty ribbon next to her left ear, her beautiful white fur, and her deep blue eyes. She became fixated on her eyes; there was something about them that kept her undivided attention. She could not stop staring at her eyes. Like a black hole, the eyes staring back at her were deep and empty and seemed to drag her very being down into nothingness. She was only saved when a magikarp swam by her and broke her reflection. She dived into the water and tried to snatch the magikarp. After a moment she rose out of the water empty-handed. She shook the water off her fur and looked back at the lake. It was like this every day. Ever since she started living in this forest she came to this lake every day and tried to catch a magikarp. So far she has been unsuccessful in every attempt. With a defeated countenance, she slowly walked back into the forest, her constant failure weighing her down.

Sylveon once again began to look for berries for nourishment. Once she tried to hunt deerling in the grassland and not only failed at catching one but also angered the nearby sawsbuck that started to attack her. She barely managed to escape and since then began to rely on berries for food. Truly it seemed like there was nothing she excelled at. Maybe it was this truth that her empty eyes were trying to convey to her.

_You're useless_.

At that moment Sylveon heard something growling somewhere in the forest. It was a sound she had never heard before. Curious, she decided to investigate. She hid behind a tree and to her amazement saw a creature she had never seen before. In a small clearing was a dragon that resembled a hydra. It had three heads, one main head and two smaller heads where its hands should be. On its neck is a purple flower-like collar which opens to its head. The main head is a dark blue and its eyes are black with purple pupils. Similar to its main head, its other heads on its hands are also blue with black eyes and purple pupils. Its other heads also have small collars on their necks. It has six thin, black wings on its back. On its stomach are two overall-like purple stripes. Its feet appear non-existent, having no claws or defined soles. Its tail also has a purple stripe with a black spot on the end of it.

After taking in its appearance Sylveon noticed its odd behavior. It was breathing heavily and growled every time it tried to prop itself up only to fall back down immediately. It was then that she noticed all the blood and scars that adorned its skin. Without hesitation she jumped out from behind the tree and slowly started to approach the injured dragon. The dragon noticed Sylveon immediately and growled at her threateningly. The dragon was so intimidating that even other healthy dragons would stay far, far away from this ferocious creature. Sylveon flinched and was about to run away when she saw his eyes. He had the eyes of an injured, cornered animal, but there was something else about them that drew her to them. She once again slowly made her way up to the injured dragon. The dragon continued to growl at Sylveon and never took its gaze off her as she slowly approached the dragon. Finally she was within the dragon's reach. She looked into its eyes again and became fixated on them. They were so different than the ones she saw in the lake. She closed her eyes and for the first time in a long time and smiled. The dragon was about to attack when it felt something that made it stop. Sylveon began to glow and give off a distinct light. The light was warm and soothing; it was something the dragon had never felt before. The dragon's wounds began to close and its energy was restored.

Sylveon opened her eyes to see the now injured dragon levitating in front of her. Amazed, she stared at the dragon in bewilderment. The dragon was still frowning, but it also had a calm look to it was well. The dragon met her gaze for a moment then flew off into the sky toward the far away mountain. Sylveon sat there for a while, as if in deep thought about the events that transpired during that fateful day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sun slowly rose across the horizon, signaling morning. The tall grass in the plains was wet with dew. The sound of crickets chirping flooded the area. Sylveon yawned and started to stretch out somewhere among the grass. She squinted at the harsh sunlight that temporarily blinded her. With slow movements she drearily dragged herself off to the nearby river. It had been a few days since she ran into that mysterious dragon. She hasn't seen that dragon since either. Would she ever see the dragon again? She didn't know.

At the riverbank she dunked her head into the river to wake herself up. After shaking off the water she started to take a few sips of water from the river when she noticed something peculiar across the river. It was what looked like a little red head with black eyes and yellow pupils sticking out behind a tree. She thought it looked familiar but couldn't remember where she had seen it before. Intrigued, she jumped across the river and slowly walked up to the head. She was within the head's reach when she finally remembered what it was. Unfortunately for her, it was already too late. The head jolted forward and forcefully clamped her right ear. She let out a sharp yelp as the claw sunk deep into her ear drawing a small amount of blood. She swatted the claw away and fled back across the river. She turned around to see a wild scizor pursuing her. She turned back around and started to run in the opposite direction.

There was something wrong with this scizor. Normally they aren't very aggressive unless you attack them and mainly use their claws to intimidate their foes rather than to lure them.* Scizor only prey on other bugs, and aren't very territorial, so why was it chasing Sylveon? Not only that, but where did it come from? She has lived in this forest for a while and this is the first time she's seen a wild scizor in it. She didn't know the answer to either of these questions, but she did know she couldn't win against it in a fight, so she continued to run.

Eventually she came to the source of the river: a waterfall. Frustrated, she turned around to see the scizor still pursuing her. She was now trapped with a waterfall to her back, a river to her side, and a scizor closing in on her. She couldn't jump into the river as carvanha are known to inhabit it and it was also too wide to cross now. The scizor was close enough now where she could see its eyes. They weren't natural; they were distorted in a way that frightened her. The most frightening thing about them was that it looked familiar, like she had seen those twisted eyes before but didn't want to remember where from. The scizor came closer and closer. It began to open and close its claws furiously, like a predator playing with its food. It was clearly enjoying itself. Sylveon was scared, more scared than she had been in a long time. Her heart began to race, and sweat poured down her face. She tried to scream but couldn't; she was petrified. She closed her eyes and turned away. The sound of the constant snapping of its claws grew louder and louder until it suddenly stopped.

She heard a loud crash and flinched. Surprised she was still unharmed; she opened her eyes to investigate what had happened. She gasped at the sight before her: the dragon she saw in the clearing was levitating in front of her facing the scizor it had knocked away from her not a moment too soon. Aggravated, the scizor got up and rushed toward the dragon. The dragon, still calmly floating in place, opened its right head and took aim at the rushing scizor. A second later flames spit out from its right head and engulfed the scizor. The scizor fell to its knees in pain and tried to block the flames with its claws, but to no avail. Not even a minute had passed before the flames stopped and the only thing that remained of the attacking scizor was a pile of ashes.

Sylveon, astounded at how easily the dragon defeated the scizor, stared at it in amazement. The dragon turned towards Sylveon and met her gaze. It wore that same face from before: its countenance was overall calm, but there was a hint of solemnity there as well. Sylveon smiled and barked once as if thanking the dragon for saving her life. It had no reaction and continued to float in place. Worried, Sylveon frowned and took a step towards it. The dragon's gaze shifted to her bloody ear and rested there for a moment. Sylveon didn't notice what it was looking at until it was too late. After a moment it flew straight up into the sky and off in the direction of the faraway mountain across the grassland. Instinctively Sylveon rushed to where the dragon had been and watched as it flew across the land. Sylveon, determined to learn more about the dragon, rushed off in the direction of the grassland.

*Pokedex Entry (Platinum): Scizor – It raises its pincers with eyelike markings for intimidation. It also swings them down dangerously.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sun was now at its highest point in the sky; its rays shone down through the clouds and unto Sylveon as she ran across the grasslands. The mountain in the distance grew larger and larger as she quickened up her pace. After a few minutes Sylveon was finally at her destination: the base of the large mountain. She stopped to catch her breath and looked up at the massive rock that protruded from the Earth. She looked back down and saw an opening within the mountain. She had no idea where it led or what creatures lie there, but she didn't care. She was determined. After a deep breath she slowly made her way into the cave.

It wasn't far before the light from outside diminished and gave way to complete darkness. Sylveon didn't take two steps before she stumbled over something in the darkness and fell over. She heard the sound of her fall reverberate through the cave until it was silent once again. She got up and continued to cut a path into the darkness. She tripped and ran into stalagmites many times, but continued walking nevertheless. Finally she ran into a rock wall that impeded her progress. Surrounded in darkness, the solid wall that blocked her progress reminded her of her own limitations that she could not overcome. Frustrated and on the verge of tears, she closed her eyes and hit the ground as hard as she could with her right paw. At that moment a burst a light emanated from her that illuminated the entire cavern. Her confusion as to what had happened was cut short when a horde of zubat that was hanging from the ceiling above her began to fly off to a nearby passageway, disturbed by the sudden burst of light. Their shrieks penetrated the air and startled Sylveon so bad that she immediately fell to the floor and covered her head with both her paws. A moment after the zubats had flown away she raised her head and examined the now visible cavern. She saw the passageway the zubats had flown into and discovered that it led higher into the mountain. Still shaken up by what had happened, she shakily continued up the cavern.

The ascending passageway led to another level of the cavern. Sylveon traversed this level much quicker than the last and it wasn't long until she spotted a raised ledge that led to an exit outside. Sylveon put her front legs next to her hind legs, bent her knees, and jumped as high as she could in an attempt to reach the ledge. She grabbed the edge with her front paws and sunk her claws into the rock to get a good enough grip to pull herself up. She kicked the wall with her hind legs and was able to push herself up. She took a deep breath, turned, and looked at the floor below her. Something about her endeavor bothered her. It took all her strength to leap a few feet and pull herself up unto a ledge any other pokemon could easily ascend. It all seemed so trivial. She frowned and finally exited the cavern.

Outside the cave was a small ledge that jutted out from the mountain. Sylveon took a step outside and gasped at the sight of the faraway forest and plains. The plains appeared golden thanks to the sun's rays and forest was greener than she had ever seen it before. She has lived in the forest for a while now but has never been able to appreciate its true beauty, until now that is. Remembering why she came here in the first place, Sylveon snapped out of the trance of the hypnotizing scenery and examined where the pathway she was on led. She saw that it coiled up around the mountainside but was unable to determine where it ended. She looked down and saw a sheer drop to the ground. Resolute, she pressed onward.

Sylveon hugged the mountainside as she slowly ascended the spiraling pathway; she wasn't fond of heights. Suddenly a rock tumbled down past her and fell all the way to the ground. She must have waited a full minute before she heard it hit the ground. She swallowed her trepidation and continued up. She heard something scurry behind her and turned around to find nothing behind her. She heard the scurrying behind her again and turned back around to find nothing. Getting nervous, she continued up the path with a quickened pace. The next time she heard the scurrying behind her a sharp pain in her back left leg came with it. She yelped and turned around to see a wild durant clamped unto her back leg. She shook it loose and knocked it off the mountain. Her victory was short lived when she noticed three more durant behind her. She tried to run away but the metal ants were too fast for her. One durant bit her back right leg, completely immobilizing her, while the other two began to continuously bite all over her body. Their pincers were hard as steel and sunk their way deep into her flesh. She cried in agony at their relentless assault. She closed her eyes as tears began to form from the pain and desperately thought of something she could do to save herself. She remembered how easily the dragon burned that wild scizor from earlier this morning. At that moment she opened her eyes and released a mysterious, hidden power that ignited all the durant attacking her. It took only a few seconds for all the durant to burn to a crisp.

Sylveon was not only exhausted but also severely wounded after the durant's attack; both her hind legs were bloody and crippled, her stomach was bleeding badly from all the bites she suffered, and the durants even managed to reopen the wound on her right ear from earlier that morning. Even though she was in such bad shape, she used her front legs to slowly crawl up the pathway. She was determined; nothing would stop her, or so she thought. After a few minutes the world suddenly grew very dark just as her front legs stopped moving. She closed her eyes and faded away into unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was a truly magnificent day; it was one of those days where you just want to sit back and watch the day slowly turn into night. The sky was clear, the sun shone brightly on all the plants and trees, the temperature was mildly hot, and a gentle breeze swept through the land. Hydreigon, however, seemed oblivious to all these wonderful qualities as he flew through the sky. He looked at the forest, grassland, and mountain with the same frown and indifferent expression he always wore. Nothing beautiful or interesting stood out to him; it never did, no matter what area he was flying over or how beautiful it was.

He has traveled a great distance, never staying in one spot for very long. He would always find some cave or mountain to sleep in for a few days as he ravaged the nearby area. Whenever he left his temporary home to look for food, he would always destroy and consume anything that moved, whether it was hostile or not. Even when he was taking all the lives of the pokemon and humans he came in contact with he wore that same frown and emotionless expression.

It was only a few days ago that Hydreigon made this unknown mountain his new home. He was on his way back from the forest after having just eaten when something on the mountainside caught his attention. Part of the spiral pathway that led to the top of the mountain was bright red. He knew the color and the smell all too well; it was blood. Curious as to what would try that hard to reach his lair he flew to the other side to see the source of the trail of blood. His eyes grew wide and he gasped when he saw Sylveon lying there, unconscious and half dead. For some reason unknown to him, he immediately flew to her to better assess her condition. When he saw the shape she was in, he felt something he had never felt before, something that made him clench his teeth and growl ferociously. It was anger. He carefully scooped up Sylveon in his arms and gently flew inside the small cave at the top of the mountain. Inside he carefully placed her down at the back of the cave trying his best not to cause her anymore unnecessary pain. After placing her on the floor, he turned and started to head for the exit but stopped. He turned and looked at Sylveon for a few moments. He frowned as he looked at her, but his expression wasn't indifferent like it always had been, it was something akin to concern. Without wasting another second, he took off and flew in the direction of the nearest town.

It only took Hydreigon a few minutes to reach the nearest town. He began to look for a metal box with a red colored top. He remembered back when he destroyed other towns that there were pokemon that lived in those red metal structures that had healing capabilities. Luckily there was such a structure that existed in this particular town. To lure out the pokemon that he sought, he shot a fire blast from his right head unto the red metal structure. The blast penetrated the roof and exploded inside the building. He saw many humans and different pokemon flee as smoke and fire rapidly spread across the building. After a few minutes of carefully watching all the creatures he finally located the pokemon he wanted: a blissey. He dove straight down out of the sky and stopped just short of slamming into the blissey. He used his two heads to bite the sides of the blissey's head just hard enough to get a good grip then flew back up into the sky. The blissey struggled to get loose but to no avail. Hydreigon carried her like this all the way back to his lair.

Once he reached the cave at the top of the mountain he finally dropped the blissey down on the ground. The blissey, after getting up and composing herself, glared at Hydreigon. Hydreigon ignored the blissey's attempt to guilt him and moved his eyes toward Sylveon, still unconscious at the back of the cave. The blissey followed his eyes and gasped when she saw how badly Sylveon was hurt. She immediately rushed over to her and began to assess her condition. After carefully inspecting her, the blissey took the egg out of her pouch and cracked it open on the ground. The yolk inside was a bright yellow that gave off a faint glow. The blissey discarded the top piece of the egg and proceeded to pour the glowing, yellow yolk on Sylveon's wounds. After finally treating her external wounds, she lifted Sylveon's head up, opened her mouth, and poured the rest of the yolk down her mouth. The special yolk not only heals wounds but also gives energy to whoever drinks it.

After doing her best to treat Sylveon, the blissey turned back to Hydreigon and gave him a puzzled look. Why would such a dangerous and menacing dragon care about this pokemon's well-being? Especially considering he just destroyed a pokemon center and injured and possible even killed dozens of humans and pokemon. As these thoughts passed by her, she realized that Hydreigon wasn't even looking at her, but at Sylveon. Suddenly she felt a strong tingling in her fur.* She had been so preoccupied with the kidnapping and Sylveon that she hadn't noticed that her fur had been reacting to Hydreigon ever since she encountered him. In all her life she had never felt feelings of sadness this strong. It made her shudder. She looked at his face again; he looked completely drained, like something had stolen all of his energy. It seemed as if he would fall into a deep sleep at any second and never wake up again. Her train of thought was broken when Hydreigon suddenly grabbed her head with his other heads and flew out of the cave back towards her town.

Hydreigon stopped at the outskirts of the town and gently lowered the blissey to the ground. Without waiting Hydreigon flew back up into the sky and headed back to the mountain. As Hydreigon got farther and farther away from the blissey, the tingling in her fur subsided. She watched Hydreigon with a pitied look as he flew away and was depressed that she could do nothing to soothe the great pain that festered inside of him.

The sun had almost set by the time Hydreigon returned to his lair. Sylveon was still unconscious, but her wounds had already healed. After checking on Sylveon, Hydreigon, weary from today's events, lied down on the ground in front of her and curled his heads inside his body. It didn't take him long to fall into a deep sleep.

*Pokedex Entry (Ruby &amp; Sapphire): Blissey – Blissey senses sadness with its fluffy coat of fur. If it does so, this Pokémon will rush over to the sad person, however far they may be, to share an egg of happiness that brings a smile to any face.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Before Hydreigon knew it, it was already morning. He turned his head behind him and saw Sylveon still unconscious. He yawned as he got up from the floor and headed outside. The first thing that Hydreigon saw was the intense sunlight. He tried his best to block the sun's rays with his right arm as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. After a moment he set off for the forest to look for breakfast. Lucky for him he didn't have to travel far; in the grasslands between the forest and the mountain he spotted a herd of deerling and descended towards them. The deerling sensed his animosity and quickly hid in the grass, hoping he wouldn't find them. One unfortunate deerling tried to run away, however. Hydreigon immediately saw it running and went straight for it. He did a U-turn from the air, snatching the deerling with his right head in the process. Once he was back up in the sky he paused and watched as the deerling tried to break free. Hydreigon's right head had the deerling's whole head in its mouth. The deerling flailed its legs and twisted its body to try to escape, but it was no use; Hydreigon was much too strong. He watched the deerling struggle for its life with that same cold expression he had always worn like a mask that had become grafted to his face. How did it feel to be in the mouth of another creature, to be engulfed in complete darkness and be seconds away from death? The thought didn't even faze him. His left head bit off the deerling's back legs at the same time his right head bit off the deerling's head. Blood sprayed on his body as his two heads completely devoured the deerling leaving nothing behind. Satisfied with breakfast, Hydreigon flew to the lake in the forest to wash off the mess his other heads made.

The rising sunlight made its way into the cave where Sylveon slept. When the sunlight finally hit her, her ears twitched. She slowly opened her eyes but couldn't make out anything except what looked like a light at the end of a dark tunnel. She got up and started to walk around in a daze. She couldn't comprehend where she was or what had happened, she was moving purely on instinct. Finally her eyesight returned to her and from that her ability to formulate thoughts. Her first thought was where she was. When her memories of her battle with the durant and her subsequent injuries returned she hastily examined her body. She was shocked to find her injuries had disappeared. Confused, she ran to the exit and instantly stopped when she saw the world below her. She finally realized where she was when she saw a descending pathway spiraling down the mountain. Taking everything in, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes. The fresh mountain air helped calm her nerves. She opened her eyes and walked back inside the enclosed cave. There she sat down and began to think about all the events that transpired. How did I get here? How long have I been asleep? Where did my injuries go? Did the dragon save me? But if he did, how did he heal my wounds? These questions plagued Sylveon's mind until her thoughts were interrupted by a three-headed dragon entering the cave.

The now conscious Sylveon was the first thing that caught Hydreigon's eye as he entered the cave. Sylveon got up off the floor at his arrival and stood there looking at him quizzically. She took a step forward and extended her right paw as if she was waiting for him to answer all her questions. Without uttering a sound Hydreigon threw something at her foot that made her freeze. The object which she sought for so long, that she tried to obtain every day but had always eluded her, which caused her so much frustration and feelings of inferiority was now lying right in front of her. She looked down to see a fresh magikarp in front of her. Without even realizing it, Hydreigon answered all the questions that had weighed on Sylveon's mind. She raised her head, smiled, and barked happily at Hydreigon. Hydreigon watched as Sylveon savored the magikarp, his expression unaffected and unchanged by Sylveon's recovery and thanks.

After Sylveon had finished eating the magikarp she got up and barked again at the dragon. Hydreigon ignored Sylveon thanks and lowered his main head to the floor. Sylveon, puzzled, looked at him for a few moments. He was staring at her; his relentless gaze seemed to beg her to come forth. Timidly, she took a few steps towards him and stopped. His expression remained unchanged. She began to walk towards him again until she was right in front of him. He was now looking up at her, his expression still the same, only his eyes had shifted position. Still confused, Sylveon put her right paw on his head and Hydreigon instantly flung his head up throwing Sylveon on his back in the process. Surprised, Sylveon grabbed onto his neck as he flew out of the cave and towards the forest.

Hydreigon landed in the small clearing of the forest where he and Sylveon first met. Sylveon was still hanging onto Hydreigon's neck as he levitated in place. She shifted her body so that the lower half her body was hanging from the left side of his neck as she tried to lower herself. She stretched her back legs in an attempt to reach the floor and felt her grip on Hydreigon's neck start to slip. She kicked her back legs as she was slipping and inevitably fell from Hydreigon. She closed her eyes expecting a fall to the ground that never came. She opened her eyes and saw that she was lying on Hydreigon's left arm. She looked up and saw Hydreigon looking down at her. She looked deep into his eyes and saw something in him that he never knew could exist within him: compassion. She blushed as she closed her eyes and snuggled his left arm. Sylveon's warm embrace stirred something inside Hydreigon that terrified him. His emotionless expression suddenly became wrought with fear. Without thinking Hydreigon pushed Sylveon off his arm then flew off towards his lair. Sylveon, disheartened, watched as he flew off into the sky, worried that she had done something wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sylveon sighed as she mechanically splashed the water with her left paw in front of her. She lied sprawled out on the lakes edge with her head hanging down near the water. It had already been more than a week since the last time she saw Hydreigon. She hasn't even seen him in the skies since that day. _Did he… Did he leave because of me?_ She didn't know, but the possibility bothered her greatly. She still remembered how he swatted her off like an annoying bug and flew away. Her head sunk farther down to where it was just hovering on the water's surface. She continued to splash her reflection in the water away but no matter how many times she did it kept coming back, like a truth she could not escape from. Her effort to avoid this truth was in vein, however. In the ripples of the water contained her distorted reflection and her empty eyes that persistently mocked her.

_You're worthless._

A loud crash snapped her out of her trance. She sprang up from the ground and listened carefully. She heard footsteps, a lot of footsteps, footsteps that weren't native to this region. She ran to the origin of the noise to investigate. Once she got close enough she climbed up the nearest tree and rested on a branch to get a better look. Through the leaves she saw a rhydon walking in a straight path, plowing through any tree that was in its way. Behind him were three humans dressed in all black with a strange red symbol on their shirt. Beside these humans were a scyther and another human dressed in black. The scyther sliced clean through any tree it came into contact as it walked with the others. Behind them were some more humans dressed in the same outfit. The outfit seemed familiar to Sylveon, but she couldn't remember where she saw it. She didn't have much time to think before something grabbed her from behind. Whatever was holding her was extremely strong. Its arms wrapped around her front legs and held her upright. She turned around to see a gurdurr restraining her. Suddenly the gurdurr leaped from the tree branch and onto the floor catching the attention of all the humans and pokemon with them.

Sylveon struggled to break free as the humans approached her. Her attempt was futile, however, as the gurdurr's grip only tightened the more she struggled. She finally stopped moving and tilted her head down when the humans came up to her. One of them stepped forward and tilted Sylveon's head back up to look at her face. She was burning with rage as she let the human feel her face and examine her. She waited for the gurdurr's grip to loosen then bit down on the human's hand and kicked the gurdurr in the stomach with her hind legs causing him to stumble backwards. She took the opportunity she created for herself and ran away as fast as she could from the strange group. Her withdrawal was cut short by the something that dropped down on top of her pinning her to the ground. To her dismay she saw the gurdurr she thought she had taken care of sitting on her back. When she looked at it she saw that same twisted look that she saw in the scizor's eyes that had frightened her so much before. Her vision suddenly went black as the gurdurr, now furious, proceeded to pummel her into the ground. Sylveon heard the human's footsteps approaching right when the gurdurr ceased its beating. Her face was now a mess covered in bruises and blood. She looked up to see three humans looking down at her, speaking in some strange language she didn't understand. Each of them was smiling in a vile way that made her skin crawl. She started to cry for help but was cut short when the gurdurr drove her head into the ground. It was dark, she tried screaming but the ground muffled whatever noise she tried to make. She felt a prick on the top of her neck and soon enough passed out into complete darkness.

**Scene Break**

Thoughts and emotions Hydreigon had never had before swirled around his head like a giant whirlpool that confounded him. He sat on the floor in the back corner of his little cave trying to make sense of what had happened. The image of Sylveon smiling kept popping into his head. He shook his head hoping to rid his mind of the image that seemed to haunt him. It was no use, however. Whenever he was able to stop thinking about her, that feeling he had as she hugged him arose and instantly made him think of her. Frustrated, he got up from the ground and rammed his head into the wall in a more extreme attempt to help him forget about her. His effort yielded the same results, however, and he was still unable to forget her. He slid down onto the ground and tried to think of something to help him forget about her. Maybe some fresh air would help. Hydreigon got up once again and headed outside to get some fresh air and clear his head.

Hydreigon was flying over the forest when he saw something peculiar: an unnatural path in the forest devoid of trees. He flew down to investigate and saw that the trees had been cut down or, more specifically, some had been cut down while others were completely destroyed. Even more mysterious was all the different footsteps in the forest that he had never seen before. Hydreigon slowly moved through the path wondering what could have done this when he noticed a small amount of blood on the ground. Curious, he stopped to smell it and gasped when he realized that he had smelled it before. His eyes narrowed and he snarled as a violent fury began to spread throughout his body. Hydreigon got up and exploded in a burst of speed down the artificial path.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sylveon woke up to find herself inside a large glass tube. Confused and still a bit dizzy, she took a minute to examine her surroundings. She was in what looked like some sort of strange laboratory. Large cylindrical containers similar to the one she was in flanked her on both sides of the adjacent wall. Across from her on the opposite side of the wall was a line of glass tubes, identical to the glass tubes on her side. On her right was a metal door that was big enough for a rhydon to enter. In the center of the room was a larger glass container filled with some kind of strange liquid. In front of the center container was some sort of machine that spit wires out to every corner of the room. On her left was a transparent wall that allowed one to see into the adjacent room. That room was much different than this one; the ground was made of dirt and grass and there was a tree in the middle of that room. It was like someone dug up a portion of the forest and placed it in that room. It all seemed so strangely familiar to her.

She got up on her feet when she noticed that some of the glass containers on the opposite wall weren't empty. She squinted to try to discern what the containers housed. She gasped when she finally realized what was in them. There were other pokemon in them. One pokemon in particular, a scyther floating in a strange liquid in one of the containers, disgusted her. This scyther was horribly mutated; it was barely even recognizable. It was so revolting and disfigured that Sylveon involuntarily put her right paw over her mouth to keep her from vomiting. She was petrified, so petrified that she began hyperventilating. She has felt this type of fear before. It's the type of fear that's suffocating, which paralyzes every muscle in your body, which completely surrounds you in darkness with no hope of every escaping. It was this fear that triggered her repressed memories; memories that she prayed would remain buried forever but now have surfaced.

Sylveon was in a container like this one before, except back then she was still an eevee. There were other eevee in the containers beside her. One by one she watched as the humans dressed in black experimented on them. They injected one of the eevee with something that made it go feral until finally they shot and killed it. They filled one of the eevee's tubes beside her with that same strange liquid that mutated the scyther. She watched as the eevee screamed in agony as its body tore itself apart and reformed into something grotesque. They forced other eevee to evolve into different pokemon and made them fight each other in that room on the other side of this one. She watched as one gained control of electricity, one gained control of water, and another of fire. Some were even able to control ice and nature itself. It wasn't long before the humans turned their eyes towards her. She still remembers the twisted smiles and vile look in their eyes. When they opened her container she ran toward the door and clawed at it mercilessly, tears streaming down her face. Her heart began to race as she heard their footsteps getting closer behind her. Finally she turned around, her back against the wall, looking at the faces of pure evil as they laughed sinisterly. She screamed as loud as she could, but it fell on deaf ears.

Sometime later Sylveon awoke to find herself in the form she holds now: she had pink ears and feet, cream colored fur, blue eyes, and two pink bows with two white scarfs with pink and blue tops attached to them. The humans dressed in black conducted more experiments on her to test her capabilities. They had her fight many other pokemon in that nature room and watched as the other pokemon beat her senselessly. Whereas others who evolved excelled at controlling some element or wielding some special power, she excelled at nothing and had no special powers. When it was deemed that Sylveon was worthless, they used her for all kinds of sick and twisted games. They laughed as they watched her try to survive against other pokemon, some of which included machoke, arbok, golbat, rhydon, and scyther. One day a malfunction in the central computer released all the containers and doors, allowing all the pokemon in the facility to escape, including Sylveon. The humans in black have been trying to round up all the pokemon that fled ever since that day. This is how Sylveon came to live in the forest. Now she is back in that nightmarish hellhole.

Finally two humans dressed in black came into the room she had dreaded for so long. One of them was dressed in black while the other wore a white coat; they were talking amongst themselves. The one in the coat was carrying what looked like a syringe. After a minute they stopped talking and the one in black left the room through the huge metal door. The one in white, however, giggled as he made his way slowly over to Sylveon. She backed up against the glass container as much as she could; this only amused the man in white even more as he was now laughing out loud while saying something indistinguishable to her. Remembering what had happened to the other eevee in the past; she used all the air in her lungs to scream in terror.

**Scene Break**

Hydreigon made his way through the path made by Team Rocket as fast as he could. His eyes were narrow and had the intensity of a raging fire. He clenched his fangs the entire way there, just itching to sink his teeth into the next thing that moved. He blew through whatever was in his way whether it was a tree or another pokemon; nothing would stop him. He was burning with an anger he had never felt before. His chase eventually led him to a black, metallic building hidden in the forest. The building had minimal defenses save a huge steel door leading into the facility. Hydreigon's rapid approach caught the attention of two humans acting as guards to the facility. They didn't even have time to comprehend what was coming their way before Hydreigon smashed through the steel door with nothing but his body and momentum.

His infiltration caused a loud high-pitched noise to sound throughout the facility, signaling countless guards to flood the large open area he was in now. Hydreigon snarled as energy began to form from his left and right heads. He aimed his right head at a group of humans in front of him and his left head at one of the doors the humans were coming out of and fired two large shockwaves from his heads. The shockwaves exploded when they hit their targets, instantly disintegrating the humans caught in the blast. The humans who survived threw their poke balls, releasing whatever pokemon they had. Hydreigon paid no attention to the miniscule threat they posed and scanned over the area looking for what he sought. When he saw no sight of it, he charged into one of the adjacent rooms. Hydreigon destroyed everything in his path as he searched the rooms like a raging storm.

After searching room after room he made his way back into the wide open area he started in. Frustrated he could not find what he sought; he roared viciously and started to tear apart the humans and pokemon trying to stop him. His heads crunched the humans and devoured whatever part of their body they tore off while his main head fired dragon pulses at whatever pokemon that was unfortunate and rash enough to charge him, whether it was a machoke, gurdurr, or scizor. During the chaos Hydreigon noticed something in the back of the room. One of the larger doors opened, revealing an elevator with a rhyperior in it. The rhyperior stomped on the ground a few times and roared to intimidate Hydreigon. Hydreigon, agitated and not in the mood for games, opened all three of its mouths and fired water from all three as the rhyperior began to charge him. The water was emitted with such force that it instantly pushed the rhyperior back into the elevator. Hydreigon charged the rhyperior, now severely weakened from the water, and bit its neck with his main head, its right arm with his left head, and its left arm with his right head. After sinking all his head's fangs into rhyperior's respective body parts, Hydreigon tore off the rhyperior's arms and head all at once with ease. Hydreigon proceeded to smash through the elevator's floor and descended into the facility.

Hydreigon arrived into another wide open area with an enormous metal door at the opposite end of the room. This room was also swarming with humans and their pokemon that tried to stop Hydreigon's rampage. Hydreigon growled and was ready to destroy everything in the room when he heard something on the other side of that metal door that made his eyes widen and his breath shorten. It was a loud shriek that made Hydreigon's skin crawl. Hydreigon roared as flames emitted from his heads onto the metal door. The metal door, now malleable from the flames, gave little resistance to Hydreigon's powerful charge. He broke down the door to find himself in some sort of laboratory filled with glass containers.

Hydreigon spotted a terrified Sylveon in one of the containers on the west side of the room and a human with a white coat on holding a syringe standing before her. The human, upon seeing the menacing dragon, tripped over one of the wires and fell as he took a step back from the approaching dragon. The bloodthirsty look on Hydreigon's face petrified him; it was like the devil himself had come to claim his soul. Terrified, he turned around and tried to run away when he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He was then lifted off the ground by his leg and hung upside down staring Hydreigon right in the face. He trembled as Hydreigon held him with his right head and wailed as Hydreigon's right head bit off and ate his leg. The human, now bleeding heavily, tried to desperately crawl away from the dragon until he felt another sharp pain in his left leg. Hydreigon hung the human upside-down from his left leg this time and once again bit his left leg off. Hydreigon went through the same motions with the human's arms until only his head remained. The human, now without any arms or legs but somehow still conscious, watched in horror as the dragon floated above him, his bloody fangs bared. The human let out one final scream before there was nothing left of him.

Once Hydreigon was done taking his revenge, he looked up at Sylveon still cowering against the back of the tube. She was staring off into space like she was reliving a terrible nightmare. It was like she was in a trance; she hadn't even noticed Hydreigon's entrance. Her trance was broken, however, when Hydreigon broke the top of the glass tube with a swinging motion of his right arm. Sylveon's head jolted at the sound of the shattering glass and looked up at Hydreigon extending his left arm to her. To her it was like he shattered the nightmare she had lived in for so long and gave her a chance to live. Tears started spilling from Sylveon as she jumped onto Hydreigon's arm. Hydreigon retracted his left arm and held Sylveon against his abdomen. After finally retrieving Sylveon, Hydreigon gathered a sufficient amount of energy and fired an enormous hyper beam from his main head straight up into the roof of the laboratory. The beam penetrated all the layers of the facility creating a large hole that led back outside. Hydreigon wasted no time escaping the facility.

After finally making his escape, Hydreigon floated above the building looking down at it. It was at this time Hydreigon noticed that every muscle in Sylveon was trembling. He looked down at her and saw that she had buried her face in his chest, tears still rolling down her face and down his abdomen. Hydreigon growled and set his sight back on to the facility that caused her so much pain and trauma. His eyes began to glow as the once blue sky started to turn black. His eyes narrowed in on the building and suddenly small meteors came raining down from the sky and onto the facility. Hydreigon watched at the meteors completely destroyed the building and everything in it. Satisfied and tired, Hydreigon wearily flew back to his lair with Sylveon still huddled against him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hydreigon slowly made his way back to the top of the mountain with Sylveon in his arms. He was barely able to stay in the air and stumbled a few times, almost falling all the way to the ground. He persisted, however; he had not come this far just to fall out of the sky due to fatigue. His vision grew blurry as he was making his way over the grasslands but refused to give up, not when his goal is in his sight.

It was around this time that Sylveon's nerves finally started to relax. So much had happened in such a short amount of time she didn't know where to start to make sense of it all. Everything on her mind was pushed to the back of her head, however, when she looked up at Hydreigon. He was sweating and breathing heavily. Whereas flying to him is usually effortless, now it looked like it took everything he had just to remain airborne. It seemed as if he would fall out of the air at any second. For a moment all the thoughts, worries, and nagging questions that plagued Sylveon took a back seat and the only thing that concerned her was Hydreigon's condition. She looked up at him, worried, and put her right paw on his chest. Hydreigon ignored her, as he was extremely focused on getting to their destination. Sylveon, not wanting to distract him anymore, looked back down and placed her head gently on chest.

Once Hydreigon reached the cave at the top of the mountain he immediately fell to the ground, completely exhausted from all the energy he exerted at the facility. Sylveon, worried sick, ran up to his head and barked, as if she was asking if there was anything she could do to help. Sylveon's distraught face was the last thing Hydreigon saw before he collapsed and fell into unconsciousness.

Sylveon began to bark hysterically as she shook Hydreigon's head in an effort to wake him up. No matter what she tried she was unable to wake the sleeping dragon. She was about to give up when she remembered when she first met Hydreigon out in the small clearing somewhere in the forest. She remembered how when she closed her eyes and wished his injuries would heal, her wish miraculously came true and Hydreigon flew off, better than ever. Sylveon closed her eyes and wished that Hydreigon would awaken and was disappointed when she saw her wish was made in vein. She closed her eyes and made that same wish once again, but to no avail. No matter how many times she tried Hydreigon would not recover. Frustrated at her inability to help him, she hit the ground as hard as she could with her right paw and began to whimper. _I am useless…I am worthless…_ Just as these poisonous thoughts penetrated her very soul, she heard a loud rumble at the entrance of the cave. Sylveon gasped as she saw a gigalith staring her down with its intimidating red eyes.

Sylveon, determined to protect Hydreigon, jumped to her feet and snarled at the gigalith. The gigalith, unfazed, slowly raised its front legs and stomped the ground with such a force that the entire cave started to shake. Sylveon lost her footing and fell down by the tremendous force that resonated through the cave. The cave shook with such strength that gigantic rocks began to fall from the ceiling. Sylveon watched the falling rocks, predicted where they would land, and effectively dodged them. She was handling herself very well until she noticed where one of the rocks would fall: right onto Hydreigon, still unconscious and inert. Without thinking Sylveon jumped into the air towards him and intercepted the falling rock. Sylveon cried as the boulder struck her back and knocked her to the ground next to Hydreigon. Sylveon, in a copious amount of pain, struggled to get to her feet and fend off the gigalith. Gigalith prepared for his next attack as the rocks finally ceased falling from the ceiling. Sylveon, bewildered, watched as the crystals on gigalith's body began to glow. Suddenly the gigalith shot the crystals from his body towards Sylveon. The crystals moved so quickly that Sylveon had no time to react as the stones grazed her body, leaving deep gashes in their place. Sylveon wailed as she fell to the ground writhing in agony. While she was writhing on the ground Hydreigon, still unconscious, caught her attention. She thought of his strength and of all the sacrifices he made on her behalf. Now was her chance to help him, and she wasn't going to blow it.

Sylveon clenched her teeth as she got up from the floor, determined to stop the gigalith at all costs. She turned towards the gigalith, still bleeding and suffering but still standing. New crystals formed on gigalith's body where the old ones once were and began glowing again. Steadfast and resolute, Sylveon stared firmly at the gigalith. The gigalith once again fired the crystals at Sylveon. Unwavering, Sylveon closed her eyes and began to emit a faint light. As the stones were about to hit her she opened her eyes and a wall of light appeared before Sylveon. The stones reflected off the light wall back at the gigalith. The stones pierced the gigalith's rock hide and it took a few steps back from the impact. Not wasting any time, Sylveon rushed toward the gigalith and tackled it with all her might, pushing the gigalith back even farther. The gigalith was now on the edge of the mountain but was no longer staggered. The gigalith turned its sight towards Sylveon when it saw Sylveon emitting a brilliant light that blinded it. Sylveon gathered up all the energy she could muster and fired a moonblast at the gigalith. The blast had just enough force to knock the gigalith off the mountain and send it crashing down towards the Earth.

Exhausted and injured, Sylveon collapsed onto the floor. Just retaining consciousness, she slowly crawled up next to Hydreigon. Happy that she was finally able to help Hydreigon, she passed out with a smile on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The cold, bitter wind howled against Hydreigon's face which chilled him to the bone. Snow from Mt. Coronet covered the land, blanketing all the grass and trees. Hydreigon, like other dragons, hated the cold and wanted to leave this area as soon as possible. The wind was much fiercer in the air, so he decided to travel on the ground where the trees broke the wind. Hydreigon was in the vicinity of Lake Acuity, home to several pokemon who have adapted to the harsh weather. As Hydreigon traveled through the lakefront, he stumbled upon a pack of weavile attempting to take down a mamoswine.

The weavile were ferocious and relentless in their attack; their razor sharp claws cut through the mamoswine's hide like a hot knife through butter. The mamoswine incapacitated a few of them with its enormous tusks, but as he knocked one away another one showed up to take its place. It was truly a sight to behold; Hydreigon, however, was unimpressed or rather indifferent. He watched the struggle take place for a few minutes until finally becoming agitated that they were in his way. Deciding that he would wait no longer, Hydreigon attacked both the weavile and the mamoswine. Totally unprepared, the weavile and mamoswine fell swiftly to his attack. He fired blasts of fire from his main head at the weavile while his other heads emitted a steady stream of fire that roasted the mamoswine. He took out most of the weavile with his fire blasts and also managed to start a forest fire. The few weavile that survived retreated into forest. With his path clear now, Hydreigon continued his journey for warmer lands, unaware of the danger looming over him.

Sneasel are notoriously vicious pokemon who stalk their prey from the shadows and completely overwhelm them with their relentless attacks. They are expert hunters, arguably the best in the land; that is, until they evolve into weavile. Out of all the pokemon that Hydreigon has attacked and ultimately defeated, weavile is one pokemon that he is going to wish he steered clear of.

Hydreigon could feel the temperature rising as the flames of the forest fire warmed him up. He was nearing the exit of the snowy lands and was just about to take flight when he heard something rustle in one of the nearby trees. He froze and focused his senses for any disturbance. He could hear the crackle of the nearby fire as well as the sound of the harsh wind. After a few minutes of silence Hydreigon got ready to take flight once again when a claw popped out of the snow below him and dug into his abdomen. Surprised, Hydreigon flinched and bit the claw with his right head and pulled a weavile out of the snow. Hydreigon was about to tear the weavile's arm off when another weavile hiding in a nearby tree threw ice shards at him. Hydreigon bellowed as the shards stabbed his back; Hydreigon threw the weavile he was holding at the weavile in the tree when two more weavile came out of hiding and rushed him. Hydreigon turned around and fired more fire blasts at them with his main head. The weavile skillfully avoided all the blasts and continued their attack. One weavile jumped in the air above him while the other weavile attacked him from the ground. Hydreigon swatted the weavile on the ground away but was too slow to defend himself from the weavile closing in on him from the air. The airborne weavile sliced the side of his face and quickly retreated before Hydreigon had a chance to counterattack. All four weavile then surrounded him and remained motionless, carefully watching Hydreigon's movements. Hydreigon remained motionless as well, keeping three weavile in his line of sight and carefully listening for any movements the one behind him might make.

The raging fire that was consuming the forest seemed like an outward manifestation of the hatred consuming the weavile. Their prey and thus their pride deprived of, their pack annihilated, and their home destroyed, these four weavile fought with an intensity never seen before. It's as if they've already died but their sole desire for revenge, to kill Hydreigon, lived on. All five pokemon didn't move a muscle; each studying the other for any slight movements. Hydreigon was in pretty bad shape; his back was throbbing with pain from the ice shards still lodged in him, his abdomen as well as his face also had deep cuts in them, letting out a steady stream of blood. This icy weather wasn't doing Hydreigon any favors either; each piece of hail took its toll on his body. He couldn't go on like this, not here anyway. He had to find some way to escape and recuperate. He had to be cautious though, the weavile had their sights set dead on him, so much so that they could see even the slightest twitch. An opportunity presented itself, however, when a wild abomasnow suddenly appeared on the scene. Infuriated that its territory was burning to the ground, it whipped up a fierce snowstorm. This snowstorm broke the weavile's focus on Hydreigon for only a moment, but that was enough to allow Hydreigon to escape. Hydreigon flew straight up in air and soared across the skies, leaving the four weavile, abomasnow, and forest fire behind. These weavile would not let it end here, however. They would have their revenge, even if it meant chasing Hydreigon to the ends of the world.

Hydreigon traveled some distance before his wounds started getting to him. He was now flying above a lush and green forest with a mountain in its vicinity. His speed lowered and he was having trouble staying in the air. Finally his wings gave out and he plummeted onto the ground. Hydreigon landed in a small clearing somewhere deep in the forest. He panted, gasping for air as he tried to prop himself up, only to fall down immediately. Suddenly Hydreigon noticed something approaching him and threateningly growled at it. The creature, undeterred, continued to approach Hydreigon. Hydreigon was ready to lash out at the creature when it was within striking distance when he felt a warm light that stopped him. Hydreigon had never felt anything like this before; the light was so gentle, so calming, and so soothing that it triggered an internal change in Hydreigon that would soon change his life. It was at this time that Hydreigon's wounds had started to close and his energy was restored. He looked at the creature that had healed him closely. The creature looked at him, puzzled, as if it didn't know what it had done. There was something about this creature's blue eyes that bothered Hydreigon, but he didn't know what it was. Hydreigon snapped back to reality, decided to make his home at the top of the nearby mountain until he could properly make sense of today's events, and flew off, leaving the creature behind. Little did Hydreigon know that fateful meeting would forever change his life as well as Sylveon's.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Hydreigon violently awoke from the dream of the past he was having. He was sweating and breathing quite heavily, but after a few deep breaths he regained his composure. It was well into the night now; the moonlight slipped in through the entrance and slightly illuminated the cave. Sylveon's white fur shone beautifully with the aid of the moonlight. Hydreigon turned his head towards Sylveon who was lying beside him. Hydreigon quietly watched her lie there sound asleep; her soft breathing put him at ease for some reason unknown to him. Hydreigon started to think about everything that happened earlier today as he sat there watching her. He wondered why he had gone to such great lengths to rescue her, why he became so enraged whenever she was hurt, why he pushed her off his arm when she hugged him, and how she was able to surface all these emotions that Hydreigon had never felt before. Hydreigon sat still for hours watching her, hoping to find an answer.

Tired of residing in the sky, the moon finally descended below the horizon while the sun came up to take its place. It was morning and Hydreigon still had not found an answer to all the questions he had. It began to agitate him beyond belief. He wished he had never met Sylveon, the cause of the storm brewing inside him. Fed up with all these sentiments, he decided to get far away from her, to find a new home and eventually forget her along with everything that he felt. Hydreigon got up from the ground and headed towards the exit when he heard a familiar sound that stopped him. Hydreigon turned around to see Sylveon standing before him, smiling. Happy to see he was okay, she made another chipper bark at him and ran towards him. Sylveon jumped onto his chest and gave him the biggest hug she could muster. Hydreigon, caught off guard and speechless, floated in place without moving a muscle. This feeling that crept through Hydreigon was the same as when Sylveon hugged his arm before. This feeling terrified Hydreigon like before, only now, whereas it was silent before, now it formed words in Hydreigon's mind.

_I don't deserve this._

Hydreigon lived a life of destruction of everything, including himself. With every creature he snuffed the life out of, whether it be a human or pokemon, he snuffed a little of the life out inside him as well. The more used to killing he became, the more apathetic and lifeless he turned. At one point in his life he didn't even care if he lived or died; he recklessly started a fight he is going to wish he would have finished with a pack of weavile. It was only when someone else cared about his life that life slowly started to return to him. This awakening of emotions terrified Hydreigon; convinced that he killed too many to ever be redeemed, he rejected Sylveon's love. Hydreigon pulled Sylveon off him and threw her to the ground. Sylveon looked at Hydreigon like he had just stabbed her heart. When Hydreigon returned her gaze Sylveon flinched when she saw the look in his eyes. It was an incredible sadness that seemed all too familiar to her; it was the same emptiness she saw in her eyes in the lake. Hydreigon turned away from her and made his way for the exit once again. Sylveon, determined to save him from himself, jumped onto Hydreigon's back and grabbed ahold of his neck. Hydreigon growled as he tried to shake her off him; but no matter how hard he tried, Sylveon would not let go. Hydreigon saved Sylveon from the darkness that almost consumed her, now it was her turn to save him. Fed up with Sylveon, Hydreigon lightly bit her with his right head and tried to pull her off. Sylveon flinched at the bite but did not cry out; she had to be strong.

Hydreigon continued his struggle in vain; no matter what Hydreigon tried or how hard he pulled Sylveon would not let him go. Unexpectedly Hydreigon felt something trickle down his back that made him freeze: it was Sylveon's tears. Sylveon wasn't crying for herself, however, she was crying for someone who had never shed a tear in his life. Sylveon was holding on just as tight as ever as she was crying for Hydreigon. Hydreigon stopped his struggle and finally relaxed his body and put his arms to his side. He looked down at the ground in wonder. _Why does she care so much about me? Doesn't she know what I've done? Doesn't she care?_

Hydreigon raised his arm and softly put it on Sylveon's head. Sylveon, surprised, opened her eyes and let go of her grip. Hydreigon gently pulled her off his back and held her in front of him with both arms. Hydreigon looked at the ground below her with an ashamed and concerned look, almost like he was asking for her forgiveness for all the sins he committed. The smile Sylveon gave him was more than anything anyone had ever given him before. Hydreigon looked up at Sylveon in doubt but was reassured when she happily barked at him. That was all Hydreigon needed. He was now able to release his constraints and finally accept Sylveon's love. He just hoped he would be able to return it someday. Hydreigon pulled Sylveon to him, wrapped both his arms around her, and nestled his head against the top of hers. Sylveon blushed at his sudden turn of affection and smiled as she was finally able to embrace Hydreigon.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next few days were spent in peace and tranquility. During this time Hydreigon and Sylveon were inseparable; they did everything together. They ate together, they traveled together, and they even played together. Sylveon would ride on Hydreigon's back as he flew across lands she had never seen before. Sometimes Sylveon would frolic in the grasslands while Hydreigon watched her. Her happiness was his. For the first time in Hydreigon's life he knew what true happiness was, although he never showed it. Sylveon knew, however; she could see it slowly changing him. No more did he wear such an indifferent and emotionless expression; it has been replaced wholesale with a serene and content look. He had become gentler as well; Hydreigon hasn't killed a single creature for sport or in rage since that day he saved Sylveon from that atrocious facility. Most importantly though, is that Sylveon could see life filling Hydreigon's eyes the more time they spent together.

The same was true concerning Sylveon. Before she met Hydreigon and discovered some of her powers, she was weak, pitiful, and extremely self-conscious. Doubt was riddled in every action she took, and in time, her self-perceived inferiority would have consumed her. Hydreigon not only saved Sylveon from those cruel humans who tortured her but from herself as well. To Sylveon, knowing that she meant so much to Hydreigon was all she needed to be happy. Two pokemon, weak and hollow alone, found strength and joy together.

One day while on their daily flight Sylveon spotted the lake in the forest where she spent so much of her time. She pointed down to the lake and Hydreigon slowly descended to the lakeside. Sylveon jumped from Hydreigon's back and made her way to the lakeside. She lied on her stomach like she used to do and stared at her reflection. Her reflection remained mostly the same as it was back then except for one difference: in this reflection Sylveon was beaming. Hydreigon found a nearby tree, rested against it, and took in his surroundings. The gentle breeze and the mild sunlight that gave life to the forest were all so new to him. Sure he had felt wind and sunlight before, but not like this. Spending time idly, watching the day turn into night with the one you care most about was uplifting. Never before had Hydreigon enjoyed himself this much by simply doing nothing. Hours turned into minutes, minutes turned into seconds, and before either of them knew it the sun was beginning to set. Sylveon, still lying down on the lakeside, hadn't moved for hours. Hydreigon was in a trance-like state until the sudden splash of water woke him. Hydreigon turned his eyes towards the lakeside but saw no sight of Sylveon. A minute passed and Sylveon was still nowhere to be seen. Hydreigon, worried, was about to get up when Sylveon finally emerged from the middle of the lake. She swam back to the lakeside when Hydreigon noticed she was carrying something in her mouth. Sylveon made her way to Hydreigon and dropped a magikarp before him. She smiled at him and barked happily.

Nighttime was now upon Sylveon and Hydreigon. They traveled to the clearing in the forest where they first met and made a small campfire in the middle. Sylveon and Hydreigon sat on opposite sides of the fire while he held the magikarp above the fire until it was thoroughly cooked. Satisfied that it was ready, he tore the magikarp in two and gave half of it to Sylveon. Even though Hydreigon could eat a whole magikarp in seconds, he took his time eating this particular magikarp. Normally whatever Hydreigon eats has no taste to it, but for some reason, this magikarp was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten. Was it because he took the time to cook it first? Or was it because he was sharing it with the most important pokemon to him in the world? Either way it didn't matter, he relished it as much as Sylveon.

Sometime after finishing dinner Hydreigon lied down on his back and looked at the sea of stars in the clear dark sky. Hydreigon lied there motionless, hypnotized by the beauty of the night sky. Hydreigon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If it wasn't for Sylveon, he wouldn't be able to appreciate nature and all of its wonder like this. Hydreigon was just about to drift into unconsciousness when he felt something warm and soft on his body. He opened his eyes to see Sylveon snuggled against him. Hydreigon closed his eyes as he put his arms around her and nestled his head against hers. As Hydreigon tightly held her, Sylveon felt a kind of joy she once thought would be forever unreachable. A single tear snuck its way down Sylveon's face before they were both fast asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Our choices affect more than just ourselves. They create an echo that changes the very world around us. Ever since Hydreigon was born his actions sowed strife and hatred within the world around him. Where others created, he destroyed. Where others gave life, he took it. Where others found happiness and joy, he found loneliness and animosity. At first he didn't know any better; it's wired into every deino to kill and destroy. But as time went on and he developed the morals to distinguish between right and wrong, it was too late. He believed he had already committed too many sins to ever be forgiven. So he continued to live as he always had and suppressed his individuality. Hydreigon lost himself and eventually became numb to all the cries of the various pokemon and people that haunted him. He developed the facial expression of a dead pokemon that would stay with him for years. It wasn't until Hydreigon met Sylveon, some pokemon who really cared for him, that he began to find himself again.

During the peaceful times Hydreigon and Sylveon spent together all the terrible memories they both held were replaced by happy ones. Hydreigon forgot all the cries of the pokemon and people and all the damage he had caused. For the first time in his life he knew what joy and solace was like.

Even though you may forget the faces of those you've killed, you can be sure they'll never forget you. You can't escape your past or what you've done; at some point in your life you'll pay for all the pain you've caused. Will you try to atone for your sins? How will you atone for them? And will it be enough? These words echoed in the back of Hydreigon's mind despite his best efforts to ignore them. He just wanted to live the rest of his life happily with Sylveon. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, for Hydreigon, his chance to finally redeem himself loomed over him.

Hatred is an intense burning fire that consumes everything that touches it and it cannot be extinguished easily. Pain, suffering, anger, and bloodshed all derive from hatred. When one party is victimized, it creates a need for retribution. When the victimized party satisfies their need for revenge, it creates another need for retribution in another party. It's a vicious cycle that can only be broken by love and forgiveness. When Hydreigon first came to this land he brought with him a stalking shadow that watched his every move. This shadow saw all his powers and studied his behavior, preparing for the time when this shadow would finally strike. After countless weeks of silently watching from shadows the bond between Hydreigon and Sylveon grow, the four weavile developed a plan to exact their vengeance. The flames of hate have brought the weavile to this land and they will not stop their pursuit until Hydreigon lies dead at their feet. Before they kill Hydreigon, however, they will take everything from him just as he took everything from them. This is their mission, their very reason for their existence now.

The four weaviles' mission got harder and more tedious as time went on. Hydreigon and Sylveon were always together now, and their chance to find Sylveon alone was getting slimmer. An opportunity would present itself one morning, however. It was a particular cloudy morning with grey skies that looked as if rain would start pouring down any minute. Hydreigon and Sylveon were sleeping together under a tree somewhere in the forest when Sylveon woke up. She stretched her body out and walked sleepily to the lake. On her way to the lake Sylveon noticed strange marking she had never seen before carved onto some of the trees.* Still tired and out of it, she decided to pay it no mind and continue to the lake. At the lake Sylveon lied down on the lakeside like she always did and splashed some of the cool, crisp water onto her face. After the water settled back she looked at her reflection and noticed something moving above her head. Her heart skipped a beat and she instinctively rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a fast and powerful slash from a weavile. Without thinking she immediately started running back to where Hydreigon was when another weavile stood in her way. She stopped in her tracks and looked for another way to Hydreigon. Another weavile appeared to her left and all three slowly approached her with their claws raised. Having no other choice she turned to her right and darted off somewhere into the forest. The weaviles' hunt had begun.

Sylveon swiftly made her way through the foliage and trees with the three weavile following closely behind. The weavile, although much faster than Sylveon, maintained their distance, as if they were waiting for something. This only made Sylveon more nervous and frightened; she ran as fast as she could towards Hydreigon. One of the weavile following her jumped in front of her and took a swipe at her, just narrowly missing her again. That weavile stood and watched as the other two continued pursuing her then disappeared into the forest.

One of the weavile blew an icy wind on Sylveon that lowered her speed. Sylveon, now reduced to the movement of a brisk walk, was easily cut off by one of the weavile. Flanking her from behind and in front, the two weavile slowly approached her. It's as if they were trying to instill as much fear into Sylveon as possible before finally killing her. Sylveon didn't know whether she was sweating from her sprint or from just from fear. Her throat was dry and she trembled at the sight of the weavile approaching her, wearing a sinister and vile grin. Sylveon closed her eyes and almost panicked when an image of Hydreigon entered her mind. Seeing him reminded Sylveon of his strength and determination. As if the mere thought of him transferred his strength and fortitude to her, Sylveon opened her eyes with newfound resolve and stood steadfast against the weavile closing in on her. With her nerves now calmed, Sylveon took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and concentrated her energy. Curious, the weavile stopped and watched as a strange light enveloped Sylveon. Sylveon suddenly opened her eyes and fired a moonblast at the weavile in front of her. The beam hit the weavile with such force that it sent the weavile flying backwards with great momentum. The weavile crashed through several trees until its momentum waned enough for a tree to finally break its flight. The other weavile was baffled at her display of power until the icy wind wore off and she was off again.

The weavile, tired of their little game, began chasing her for blood. Two other weavile appeared from the trees and joined in the chase. Sylveon looked back in shock as she now saw three weavile chasing her again, only now they were getting closer and closer. She wondered how that weavile she attacked could be moving again so soon but her thought was cut off when she entered the domain where Hydreigon was.

Sylveon stopped abruptly at the tree where she and Hydreigon once were. This was definitely the spot where they had been together but Hydreigon was nowhere to be found. Sylveon blankly stared at the empty spot beneath the tree, as if all the hope and resolve she once had simply vanished. The three weavile caught up to her and surrounded her. This was it; finally the weavile would satisfy their insatiable hunger for revenge. Sylveon stood there, still staring blankly into space, hearing the footsteps of the weavile grow louder until all three of them attacked her at once. Sylveon was an instant away from being sliced into pieces when something whisked her away at the very last second. Surprised, Sylveon looked at Hydreigon who had once again saved her life. Hydreigon was not looking at Sylveon, however, but at the three weavile below him. Hydreigon had a stern and resolute countenance that she had never seen before. She looked down at the weavile who were also staring back at Hydreigon with the same expression he had. She wondered what had happened between them when Hydreigon suddenly flew off into the sky and headed towards the cave at the top of the mountain.

*Pokedex Entry (HeartGold &amp; SoulSilver): Weavile – It lives in snowy regions. It carves patterns in trees with its claws as a signal to others.

**Scene Break**

_This is my fault. I brought them here. Because of my actions Sylveon was almost killed. I have to take care of this now, or they will haunt me forever._ These truths guided Hydreigon's conscience as he arrived at his lair with Sylveon. Sylveon jumped to the ground and looked at him quizzically. Hydreigon stared down at the ground in deep thought then turned and headed towards the exit. Sylveon ran to him and barked worriedly. Hydreigon turned around and with a reassuring glance patted Sylveon's head. With that Hydreigon took flight and headed back towards the weavile. Sylveon ran up to the exit and watched as Hydreigon gradually disappeared from sight.

Hydreigon spotted the three weavile still standing in the same spot where he left, as if they knew he would return. Hydreigon descended to the ground below and floated before them. The three weavile stared daggers at Hydreigon who met their gaze with no signs of anger or rage, only concentration. Hydreigon would defeat them once and for all and he would finally be able to live peacefully with Sylveon. This was his goal. Two of the weavile began to slowly surround Hydreigon, their eyes still affixed on him. Hydreigon's left head followed the weavile moving to his left while his right head followed the weavile moving to his right all the while his main head continued to stare down the weavile in front of him. After the weavile got in position all three then raised their claws in a fighting stance. Hydreigon raised his arms in response and waited for their attack. Minutes passed without a single movement from any pokemon. All of them were so focused on each other that none of them noticed the coming of a rain storm. Rain began to bathe the forest while the lightning flashed and the thunder clapped. Hydreigon welcomed the storm; it was fitting given the high tension in the air.

Finally the weavile in front of him rushed him with the other two following his lead. Hydreigon avoided the swipe the weavile in front took at him and struck its back with his left arm. The powerful blow sent him flying behind Hydreigon. The weavile on his right and left, however, jumped at Hydreigon and cut his back and abdomen, respectfully, before landing on the ground. Hydreigon growled from the pain and shot steady streams of flames from his left and right heads at the weavile flanking him. The two weavile jumped in the air, avoiding the attack, and regrouped with the weavile Hydreigon knocked back. All three weavile charged him from the front this time. Hydreigon directed his flamethrower at the weavile in front of him, but he was too slow. All three weavile jumped in the air and threw ice shards at Hydreigon. Hydreigon used his right arm to take the brunt of the blow, with only a few shards piercing his abdomen which drew a small amount of blood. The three weavile landed behind him, turned around, and charged him again. Hydreigon roared as he charged the weavile. Hydreigon outstretched his arms and bulldozed through all three of them. Once they were on the ground Hydreigon flew straight up into the air and fired a dragon pulse from all three heads onto the downed weavile. The blast created a sizeable explosion that filled the area with smoke and debris.

Hydreigon waited for the smoke to clear the area when suddenly more ice shards came from the smoke. Hydreigon managed to block the few that hit him when all three weavile jumped out of the smoke towards Hydreigon. Two of the weavile flanked Hydreigon on his left and right sides while the other was behind him. Hydreigon swatted the two weavile on his sides but the weavile behind him grabbed onto Hydreigon's back. The weavile cut off Hydreigon's top-right wing, which caused Hydreigon to cry out in anguish. Hydreigon grabbed the weavile and tried to pull it off but the weavile dug its claws into Hydreigon's back, causing him even further torment. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to pull it off without hurting himself in the process, Hydreigon turned his back to the ground and flew straight into the ground. Hydreigon smashed the weavile between the ground and his body and felt the weavile's grip loosen. Hydreigon immediately pulled it off his back and held it in front of him with his right head as he roasted it with his left.

With one weavile down he turned his attention towards the other two who were hastily approaching him. Hydreigon started to get weary from all the blood loss and was too slow to properly defend himself against the onslaught of slashes from the two weavile. Gashes and bruises covered Hydreigon's body as the vicious weavile mercilessly continued their desperate assault, enraged by another victim of their own hatred.

Just when all hope seemed lost to Hydreigon, an image of Sylveon appeared in Hydreigon's. She was smiling at Hydreigon like she always did, with that cute and innocent expression on her face. It was the smile he could never muster himself, so Sylveon always smiled for the both of them. It put Hydreigon at ease when he suddenly saw a weavile sneak up on her with its right claw raised high into the air. Hydreigon tried to warn her, but she couldn't hear him; she just stood there facing him, unaware of the danger getting closer to her. The weavile was right behind Sylveon now and slashed right through the image of Sylveon in Hydreigon's mind. Hydreigon, unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality, thought the murder of Sylveon in his mind was genuine. Hydreigon bellowed so loudly that it seemed to shake the ground itself. It was even forceful enough to halt the weavile's attack. Hydreigon's eyes became bloodshot as he set his sight on the two weavile that he believed killed Sylveon.

The storm witnessing this vicious battle became more violent itself; the rain intensified and the lightning struck the earth more and more frequently. With an enormous amount of anger and hatred fueling Hydreigon went on an outrage that easily dwarfed his attack on the Team Rocket facility. The rage that coursed through his veins replaced the pain that crippled Hydreigon before. Hydreigon brutalized the two weavile with strength and speed the weavile had never seen before. With using nothing but physical attacks, Hydreigon broke the weavile's bones before finally tearing them apart. He devoured them with a ferocity not seen since his attack on the Team Rocket facility. With all three weavile now dead, Hydreigon breathed heavily as his sanity as well as the crippling pain returned to him. Still disoriented, Hydreigon fell to the ground and tried to steady his breathing. Hydreigon had won not only against the weavile, but against his past as well. He would survive his injuries and live a happy life with Sylveon with no more death or destruction. He could finally breathe easy now. He sighed in relief and weakly laughed in triumph over his past. The sky darkened as a flash of lightning suddenly lit up the forest, revealing a once forgotten and familiar figure standing behind Hydreigon.

**Scene Break**

Sylveon watched as the storm grew fiercer with every passing minute. She continued to stand on the edge of the cave's exit, waiting for Hydreigon to return. Her worry and apprehension only grew as more time went on. It had already been an hour since Hydreigon left. Blood began to form on Sylveon's lip from the constant biting plaguing it. Sylveon's heart skipped a beat at the sight of a flash of lightning. She wondered why this particular bolt frightened her so much. Her uneasiness now growing at an exponential rate, Sylveon jumped off the ledge and skidded down the mountain. The rocks grinding against her paws were especially painful, but she didn't care; she had to get to Hydreigon as fast as possible. Once she reached the mountain base she dashed straight towards the forest. She could feel the rain getting heavier as she sprinted through the grassland. The tall grass soon gave way to the towering trees. Lightning struck once more as Sylveon finally entered the forest.

Sylveon grinded to a halt upon entering the forest and scanned the area for any sign of Hydreigon. The wounds on her paws split open from her reckless sprint through the grassland and were now bleeding. She was completely out of breath and was panting; but she didn't care. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her paws Sylveon ran through the forest desperately crying out for Hydreigon. She stumbled and fell in the mud countless times but refused to stay down. Eventually Sylveon spotted some trees that had fallen over. She followed the path of damaged trees which led her to an open area. Countless trees had either fallen over or were completely destroyed and small craters littered the area. Sylveon's heart raced as she frantically searched the entire area. Sylveon was on the verge of tears as her search proved fruitless until a sudden flash of lightning revealed a slumped figure off in the distance. Sylveon immediately rushed towards the silhouette to inspect it further. When Sylveon was close enough to determine what the figure was, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened, her throat became dry, every muscle in her body trembled furiously, and her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach at the sight that lied before her. There in front of her was Hydreigon lying motionless in a pool of dark, murky water. Every part of his body was adorned with cuts and bruises the likes of which she has never seen. His back was filled with black holes and all six of his wings were gone.

She didn't believe it. _It can't be true. Hydreigon is indestructible; he destroyed an entire building full of deadly pokemon and saved me! There's no way he could lose to three weavile…no…way…_ The sound of the rain seemed to grow louder and louder to Sylveon until she couldn't hear her own thoughts anymore. She meekly approached Hydreigon and softly touched the top of his head, hoping to get some sort of response. It was only when Hydreigon didn't respond that Sylveon grasped the reality of the situation. Tears began to well up in Sylveon's eyes until she finally broke down sobbing. She fell to the ground and cuddled Hydreigon's head in her arms. She screamed and howled into the dark skies that covered them. In her grief, something snapped within Sylveon. A spark ignited a fire deep within her heart that soon spread to her whole body. Her muscles tightened and a dark and fiery look overtook her face. _They…they did this to you…didn't they? They won't get away with it…I'll…I'll make them pay…if it's the last thing I do… I swear…I'll make them pay!_

Sylveon got up and turned away to hunt down the weavile when something grabbed her back leg. Startled, she turned around to see Hydreigon holding her back with his right head. Hydreigon used all his strength to barely lift his head from the ground and halfway open his right eye. The fact that Hydreigon was still alive as well as the severity of his condition escaped Sylveon as she tried to break free with all her might. Hatred and revenge clouded Sylveon's vision. No matter how much she struggled, however, Hydreigon wouldn't let go. He knew exactly what Sylveon was thinking; he recognized that dark fire in her eyes all too well. No matter what he would not let the fires of hatred consume her like it did him and the weavile. Hydreigon mustered all the strength left in his broken body and pulled Sylveon to him. Hydreigon held Sylveon tightly with both arms as she continued her fruitless and desperate struggle.

_Why? Why is he holding me back? I'm doing this for him! Let me avenge you, please!_ Sylveon growled ferociously as she tried to escape when something fell on her face that froze her. She slowly looked up at Hydreigon's face and saw tiny drops of water spilling from his closed eyes. She didn't know if it was the rain or his tears, but it didn't matter. If Hydreigon was unable to cry, then the skies did it for him. The grief and sorrow that was pushed aside in favor of rage and fury returned to Sylveon as she began to cry once again. Hydreigon felt her stop struggling and halfway opened his right eye to see Sylveon staring back at him, tears streaming down her face. He saw those deep blue eyes he loved to lose himself into so much. For the first time since they met Sylveon saw the corner of Hydreigon's mouth rise into something worthy of a smile. Sylveon smiled back shakily as she closed her eyes and cuddled with Hydreigon.

Sylveon and Hydreigon held each other in that pool of murky water for hours. Sylveon continued to hold Hydreigon even after his arms fell to the ground beside her. The rain wouldn't stop. The rainfall grew louder and louder until it was the only thing that could be heard in the entire forest. No one knew if the clouds or Sylveon wept more for Hydreigon. It all seemed so surreal; like Sylveon was having a bad dream and couldn't wake up. Sylveon continued to hold Hydreigon's lifeless body, waiting for the time when she would finally wake up and see Hydreigon floating over her, safe and sound, looking at her with those compassionate eyes she was so fond of. She would smile at him like she always did and jump on his back. Hydreigon would pat her head tenderly then take off and soar into the skies. Sylveon couldn't bear to open her eyes and see Hydreigon as he is now. Sylveon tightened her grip as she remembered all the happy times they spent together. Reliving those times in her memories comforted her as her grip loosened on Hydreigon. The sad and trying times they shared came to Sylveon too which strangely comforted her as well. If they could survive through all the pain and suffering they experienced before, then they could surely survive this, right? Sylveon's grip slipped even further as fatigue crept up on her.

In her last moments of awareness Sylveon could feel the rain lighten up. The storm was finally passing. A small ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and made its way to the forest below. As time passed the small ray grew wider until it encompassed Hydreigon and Sylveon. They both lied motionless together without any signs of life except something that resembled a smile adorning both their faces.


End file.
